Noida: Greater Noida Authority has raised the compensation rate for farmers whose land is acquired for development projects to Rs 6,415 per sqm, up from Rs 4,125. Farmers opting for a 6% abadi plot, however, will receive Rs 5,725 per sqm.Officials said the revised rates are expected to give momentum to land acquisition for the city’s second phase, which is planned across nearly 40,000 hectares. The first phase spans 31,733 hectares and covers 117 villages. Once the second phase, covering another 140 villages, is complete, the city’s total planned area will expand to around 71,000 hectares.In the first phase, the Authority acquired land for residential, commercial and industrial development along with major infrastructure projects, including Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor’s flagship industrial township and Multi-Modal Logistics Hub. The second phase will focus on areas around Dadri and Sikandrabad and will also cover land acquisition for extending the Aqua Line’s Depot-Bodaki corridor.The revised compensation is also expected to help the Authority acquire land for the remaining 10-km stretch of a 130-metre-wide road connecting Sirsa village with Yamuna Authority area, a stretch that has stayed incomplete due to land acquisition hurdles.Farmers have repeatedly protested in Greater Noida over compensation. On Aug 17, farmers had planned a protest outside the Authority office, but officials dumped truckloads of soil at the site to prevent the gathering. Officials said farmers’ grievances have since been addressed and there is currently no protest underway.Additional GNIDA CEO Sunil Kumar Singh said the Authority had discontinued the provision for allotting abadi plots in 2016 but the board has now reintroduced the scheme. “Farmers whose land is acquired will get Rs 6,415 per sqm as compensation. Those opting for 6% abadi plots will be allotted plots in separately developed residential sectors,” Singh said.The abadi plots will follow the same planning pattern as other residential, industrial and builders’ sectors. Farmers will be issued a reservation letter for their plot along with the registration of their land in favour of the Authority.The compensation rate has been revised several times over the past decade. It stood at Rs 3,500 per sqm in 2014, rose to Rs 3,750 in 2022, and was revised to Rs 4,124 in 2023, where it remained until the latest increase.The Authority has also decided to simplify the acquisition process. Officials said a land acquisition cell, headed by the additional CEO, will be constituted to assist farmers through the purchase process so they do not have to visit multiple offices. The compensation distribution process will also be made more transparent, with the entire amount transferred directly to farmers’ bank accounts.The minimum size of an abadi plot will be 40 sqm and the maximum 2,500 sqm. Farmers will also receive separate compensation for assets located on their land at the time of purchase, and those whose land lies along major roads will get preference in plot allocation.The revised rate is higher than those of the other two development authorities in the region. The Yamuna Authority recently revised its rate to Rs 4,558 per sqm, while the Noida Authority’s rate stands at Rs 5,324 per sqm.
